Last verified: 2026-10-26
Send a short written brief before arranging a viewing: your move-in date, intended stay, deposit limit, monthly budget and required documents. Ask whether the agent can explain the proposed terms in English. An English conversation about the room doesn’t establish that the contract or later support will also be in English.
This guide covers finding and comparing homes before signing. Use the separate renting in Korea guide for contract and deposit questions.
Give each agent the same brief
Separate the deposit you can actually transfer from the monthly cost you can afford. Include the maintenance fee and excluded utilities when comparing homes. Ask whether furniture, internet and appliances are included and who handles repairs.
State anything that could rule out a home early: a pet, a move-in date that cannot change, an accessibility requirement or documents needed for a residence application. Ask for confirmation about the specific property rather than accepting “foreigners welcome” as an answer to all of these questions.
You can send this message:
영어로 상담 가능한가요? 입주일과 거주 기간, 보증금과 월 예산을 먼저 보내드리겠습니다. 관리비 포함 항목과 중개보수도 서면으로 알려 주세요.
“Can you provide a consultation in English? I’ll send my move-in date, intended stay, deposit and monthly budget first. Please also provide the maintenance-fee inclusions and brokerage fee in writing.”
Avoid sending a passport or residence-card image just to ask whether a listing is available. Ask why a document is needed, who will receive it and how to provide it securely when it becomes necessary.
Use apps to build a shortlist
A listing is a lead to check. Ask whether that exact unit is still available, whether the photos show it and when the quoted terms were last confirmed. Save the listing and the agent’s written reply so you can identify any difference at the viewing.
Search using the Korean neighborhood name as well as an English spelling. Copy the full address from the agent’s confirmed details before checking the route. The Korean address guide explains building and unit fields.
This article doesn’t promise English support from a particular app. Confirm the current interface and the language of the person handling the listing. An app’s translated buttons don’t translate a landlord’s messages or a Korean contract.
Find and verify the office
Seoul’s official Global Real Estate Agency directory provides a starting point for finding listed offices. Contact the office to confirm its current language support, availability and areas served. A listing in a directory isn’t a guarantee of a particular transaction.
Use the Seoul portal’s registered-office search (Korean) to compare the office name, location and registration details with the person you are dealing with. For a home outside Seoul, use the relevant local government’s registration service. If you can’t reconcile the details, ask the local authority before committing money.
Be cautious if the person refuses to identify the office or moves the conversation to an unrelated payment recipient. Don’t infer that an account is legitimate because the profile picture or business-card design matches a listing.
Request a fee calculation before signing
Ask for the property category, transaction value, rate, any applicable monetary cap and the final charge, with VAT shown separately. The official Seoul brokerage-fee guide explains the local housing schedule and separate treatment of officetels and other property.
For housing rentals, Seoul’s published transaction-value formula uses the deposit plus monthly rent multiplied by 100. If that result is below ₩50 million, its alternative formula uses the deposit plus monthly rent multiplied by 70. The amount is a basis for calculating the brokerage fee; it isn’t another deposit you pay.
Worked calculation, not a real listing: with a ₩10 million deposit and ₩500,000 monthly rent, the first calculation is ₩60 million. Seoul’s housing-rental band for that value has a maximum rate of 0.4% and a monetary cap of ₩300,000. The resulting maximum fee is ₩240,000 before VAT, subject to the correct property classification and agreed fee. This example applies the official schedule checked on October 26, 2026.
Don’t use that housing calculation for every room described as an officetel. Ask the agent to identify the applicable legal category and show the corresponding schedule. Outside Seoul, check the local schedule instead of assuming every regional detail is identical.
Compare the exact unit at the viewing
Ask to see the room you would occupy, including the window, bathroom, appliances and storage. Check whether a displayed room number agrees with the proposed paperwork. If a substitute unit is offered, treat its terms as a new offer to review.
Try the route you expect to use regularly when you can. A station name on a listing doesn’t tell you which entrance, hill or building access route you will use. Don’t accept a walking-time claim as a substitute for checking the route.
Record questions while you are there: what maintenance covers, how deliveries enter, how rubbish is collected and who to contact about a fault. Ask permission before photographing the interior. Keep other tenants and their belongings out of your records.
Keep a viewing comparison you can use later
For each unit, record the address, room identifier, viewing date and the person who showed it. Put the quoted deposit, rent, maintenance fee and excluded charges beside those details. Keep your own comments in a separate column. That makes it easier to distinguish an agreed term from an impression such as “quiet room.”
Write down any task promised before move-in, including cleaning, repairs or removing furniture. Ask when it will be completed and how you can confirm it. If a promised item matters to your decision, ask for it to appear in the proposed agreement. A useful photograph should show the specific problem, with permission, rather than a room full of other people’s belongings.
Ask to see the room again if the information you need wasn’t available during the first visit. For example, you might need to understand how the entry system works or whether the desk has usable power sockets. Don’t handle wiring, open service cabinets or test an appliance in a way the agent hasn’t permitted.
After the viewing, send a short summary of the terms you understood and ask the agent to correct anything inaccurate. Keep that reply with the listing. If a later quote changes, ask which item changed and why before comparing it with another home.
If several agents show you the same unit, identify that overlap in your notes. Ask who would handle the proposed transaction and explain any fee before continuing. Don’t assume that the first person to send a photo and the person who later shows the room have the same role. Keep the office identity attached to each quotation.
Pause before paying to “hold” a room
Ask what any requested payment is called, who receives it, which agreement it relates to and when it can be refunded. Don’t treat a chat message saying “hold deposit” as a complete explanation of the consequences.
Before paying, compare the proposed contract, office details and payment instructions. Resolve contradictory amounts or terms in writing. If the agreement is unclear, obtain a translation or suitable advice before proceeding.
Source scope
An AI-assisted source check compared the linked Seoul agency directory, registered-office search and fee schedule with the statements in this guide. The worked example uses hypothetical inputs and the published housing-rental formula. The screening questions and recordkeeping suggestions are editorial advice. No listing, agent, payment recipient or individual contract has been verified for the reader.